The second day of the Indian Poetry Festival, which concluded at Panjab University on Sunday evening, saw feminine assertion as quite a few male writers, critics and listeners got provoked while some of the finest poems were heard in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Assami, Oriya and Dogri.

Dr Tarannum Riyaz familiarised the diverse gathering with women writers in Urdu who, she said, were trying to break free from barriers raised by the family, neighbourhood and society. “Khud ko chhupa ke chalo,” this is what daughters are told. To this the Urdu woman writer reacted: “Jalado kitabein jo hamne parhi hain”.

Though most appreciated it, some men felt targeted when Tarannum quoted the following from an Urdu poet: “Main sach kahoongi magar phir bhi haar jaoongi/ Voh jhooth bolega phir bhi laajawab kardega”.

Punjabi story writer Ninder Gill asked if women writers in Urdu spoke of repression by men only or their feminism was directed at State repression too. As Tarannum requested: “Sawaalon ke teer chala kar mujhe halaak na karein”, a Punjabi poet, Dr Vanita, came to her defence with these lines from her poem “Meri Jang”: “Meri jang aadmi ke saath nahin/ Aadmi ke mathe main baithe funkaarte saanp ke saath hai”.

Dr Indu Jain, a Hindi poet who presided, responding to the charge of Western influences on women writers, said while the burn-the-bra feminism does not prevail in India, the woman writer feels man too is caught in traditional chains and is trying to come out of it. She is not at war with man. She is only trying to awaken him to her sensibilities. She is trying to walk with him. Her poetry tries to scratch the thick skin.

Dr Sukhdev Singh (Punjabi) explained how poets like Paash and Lal Singh Dil were giving voice and dignity to the neglected ordinary woman, breaking from the tradition of poetry treating the woman either as a ‘devi” or focussing on her physical beauty. It was in this backdrop that Dil raised his voice: “Prostitutes are daughters of India... If no one owns them, they are my daughters”.

Surjit Pattar (Punjabi) narrated a poem on the adulteration of Punjabi with English words and wondered whether this would lead to its decay or revival. His other poem “Meri Kavita” presents an uneducated mother’s worry why her son is in pain and why he is putting it on paper instead of sharing it with her and the poet comments: “My mother does not understand my poem, though it is written in the mother-tongue”.

Mohanjeet recited his famous poem on mother which was well received. Another Punjabi poet, S. Tarsem, lifted the mood with his lines: “Na darwaja, na roshandaan, na khirki/ Mere is shehr ka har mistri kursi banata hai.”

Dr Muzaffar Hanfi (Urdu) impressed both with his style and content. This one on the politician is particularly worth sharing:” Deewana hai jo usse tavako rakhe koi/ Rehbar hai, koi deewana to hai nahin”.

The role of poetry and poets also came up for comment now and then. But most agreed with this observation of Navtej Bharti: “Kavi ka kaam rasta batana nahin/ Kavi ka kaam diya jalana hai”.